Cat woman

She wouldn't want to be known as that after the briefing from Henri, whose place I am house-sitting, to try and do away with two of her three cats while I am here. I have suppressed the urge to commit animal cruelty and fed all three equally, even though cat mewing is not the nicest sound to wake up to. It does beat pneumatic drilling though, which was one of the other mornings.

Henri's place is in a prime location in Phnom Penh, is an old meteorological station used by the French and has a perfect veranda for lounging. I am gliding about its cavernous corridors and rooms, feeling like Gerard Depardieu (pre-bulbous red nose) in a film set in the colonial era.